When the days grow shorter and the nights get longer, people around the world celebrate Hanukkah. For eight days and nights, candles are lit, songs are sung, and dreidels are spun to remember a people’s revolt and holy miracle from more than 2,000 years ago.

In the most basic sense, history is the branch of study relating to past events. It’s the record of the past, what it means to us and how it influences our lives.

The study of ancient history encompasses Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, among others. The Ancient Egyptians are of course best known for their pyramids, which served as tombs for the civilisation’s dead kings. The Ancient Romans are most notorious for their gladiators, the highly trained “working class heroes” of antiquity. The Ancient Greeks are best remembered for their contributions to the foundations of Western culture including politics, literature and philosophy.

In more recent times, history’s focus has been on major world wars and events including the Industrial Revolution, World War I. World War II and the Iraq War. Adolf Hitler, the powerful dictator and leader of the Nazi party, was the catalyst for the start of World War II and one of the most terrible events in human history – the Holocaust.

Closer to home, key moments in Australian history include the first contact between European and Indigenous Australians, the First Fleet and the events Gallipoli during WWI.

Scroll through the videos, photos and articles below to find out more about history.